Automatic brake



C. L. MORRIS AUTOMATIC BRAKE Filed .June 5, 1944 www.:

Patented Mar. 19, 1946 UNITED AsrA'rlr s, 'Pr'.TENi` 'OFFICE AUTOMATIC BRAKE Charles L. Morris, Cannelton, W. Va., assigner of forty per cent to D. L. Peters, Cannelton, W. Va.

Application June 5, 1944, serial No. 538,755

2 claims. (or. isa-114) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in brake mechanisms designed primarily for use upon mine cars and the invention vhas for its primary object to provide electrically controlled means for maintaining the brakes in a released positionwhile the power ,line

a for operating the cars is unbroken and in which `manufacture and install in operativel position and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction -and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming through an opening I in the bottom 'of the'car and is formed with a substantially horizontally inclined upper end. Attached to the lever I4 near the upper end thereof is a mounting I'I for an electric motor I8, the shaft I9 of the motor having a'pinion 20 secured thereto adapted to v travel along an arcuate rack 2l secured to a side part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of a mine car showing the brake mechanism installed in position thereon.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the mine car with parts Ibroken away and shown in section, and

Fig. 3 is a diagram of the electric circuit for controlling the brakes.

Referring now to the drawing in detail wh'erein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, the

numeral 5 designatesv the mine car generally which includes a bottom 8 and wheels 1. An electric cable 8 extends from one end of the car to .the other to provide an electrical connection between coupled cars. i

The brake mechanism for the wheels 'I includes brakeshoes 9 pivotally supported on the under side of the car by hangers I0 for movement into and out of engagement with the wheels. The brake shoes 9 are applied and released by means vof a transversely extending shaft' II having arms i2 extending oppositely therefrom and to which link members I3 form a connection between the arms'and the upperand lower edges of the brake shoes as shown to advantage in Fig. -1 of the drawing. The brakes are applied by a rotaticn'of the shaft II in one direction and are released by an opposite rotation of the shaft to move the links I3 in a direction as shown by the arrows.

A lever I4 extends upwardly from the shaft I il of the car. The rack 2I is curved on a'radius from the axis of the shaft II.

A circuit wire 22 leads from the motor to one end of a pivoted contact 23 supported on the side of the car and suitably insulated therefrom, the pivot 24 of the contact having a circuit wire 26 leading therefrom and connected to the power line 8.

The other end of the contact 23 is formed with a weighted yokev Z6 which normally gravitates .into a downwardly extended position and is adapted to receive a roller 21 carried on the outer end of the lever I4, when the latter is moved upwardly.

The upward movement of the lever I4 will cause an engagement of the roller 21 in the yoke 26 to also move the latter upwardly to swing the other end of the contact arm 28 downwardly for engaging a stationary contact 28secured to the side of the car and having a circuit wire 29 leading therefrom to an electro-'magnet 30 which latter is grounded w the side of the car and has its armature disposed in the path of one leg of the yoke 28 upon the upward movement of the latter. Ac-

cordingly when the yoke 2B is moved upwardlyy thus raise thelever I4 whereby the roller 21 will engage and actuate lthe pivoted Contact 23 to energize the electro-magnet 30 and hold the lever Id in its raised position and at the same time deenergize the motor I8.

Should the switch 3i be opened or the power line otherwise interrupted the electro-magnet all l is controlled by a dash pot mechanism 32 including a cylinder 33 secured to the mine car having a piston 3d working therein and connected to the lever it by the piston rod 35. The upper and lower ends oi the cylinder are connected by a by-pass pipe 36 having a manually controlled valve Si? therein. The brakes may also be released manually by means of a hand lever 38 including an upper section 39 adjustably connected to and insulated from a lower lever section 40 pivoted to the side of the mine car as at l and having an arcuate-shapedr lift foot d2 attached thereto and disposed under the lever i4. A movement of the lever 36 in the direction shownV by the arrow in Fig. l will raise the lever I4 and release the brakes.

It is believed the details of construction, manner of operation and advantages of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing without further detailed explanation HavingA thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. A vehicle brake control mechanism comprising va gravity actuated pivotal lever connected to the brakes of the vehicle for applying the brakes upon a downward movement of the lever, an electric motor mounted on the lever and serving as a Weighting element effective in the gravitation of the lever, a rack and pinion arranged for raising the lever upon energization of the motor to release the brakes, the rack being arcuate and formed on a radius from the axis of the lever and the pinion being nxed on the rotor of the motor and in toothed engagement with the rack, a pivoted contact mounted on the vehicle and controlling the circuit of the motor, said contact including a yoke engageable by the lever for acasearas tuating the contact to de-energize the motor upon a predetermined upward brake releasing movement of the lever, an electro-magnet located cooperatively adiacent to said pivotal contact and energized by the movement of the contact to deenergize the motor, said electro-magnet being disposed in the path of the yoke whereby to hold the latter in its raised position and said yoke in its magnetically held position holding the engaged lever in its raised position.

2. A vehicle brake control mechanism comprising a gravity actuated pivotal lever connected to the brakes for applying the brakes upon a downward movement of the lever, said lever being substantially horizontal in its lowered brake applying position, an electric motor mounted on the lever and having a pinion driven by its rotor and in toothed engagement with an arcuate rack mounted on an adjacent part of the vehicle for raising 'the lever to release the brakes, a pivoted contact mounted on the vehicle for controlling the circuit of the motor, said contact including a yoke engageable by the lever for actuating the contact to fie-energize the motor upon a predetermined upward brake releasing movement of the lever, anelectro-magnet located cooperatively adjacent to said pivotal contact and energized by the movement of the. contact to deenergize the motor, said electro-magnet being disposed in the path of the yoke whereby to hold the latter in its raised position and saidyoke holding the lever in its raised position when the yoke is under the holding inuence of the electro-magnet, and a manually operable lever including means engageable with the nrst-named lever to raise the latter independently of the motor.

t CHARLES L; MORRIS. 

